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The New Testament tells a story of how Jesus performed a real miracle to feed five thousand hungry people in the desert.  He performed this miracle only after reminding His disciples, and each of us, of our obligation to feed the poor.  Jesus had just heard the sad news of John the Baptist’s murder.  His heart was full of sorrow, and He went out into the desert to be alone for a while.  But the people would not leave Him alone.  Suddenly there is a large crowd gathered around Him.  As usual He begins to teach, to heal and to […]

Many centuries ago, a Hebrew poet wrote a psalm that begins with the line: “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God.”  He said that concerning the temple which King Solomon built in Jerusalem.  To him it was the most beautiful and the most sacred place on earth.  It was the house where God lived.  To visit the temple was to be in the very presence of the Lord. But that beautiful and sacred building is no longer there.  It was first destroyed in 586 BC by the invading armies of Babylon.  Some seventy years later, it was rebuilt.  […]

Our Church canonizes saints largely because they are successful models of Christian living and are helpful to us as we try to be better followers of Christ.  Saints are given to us not so much for our admiration as for our imitation. During the month of March, the church honors two special saints.   St. Patrick whose feast we celebrate on March 17 and St. Joseph whose feast we celebrate on March 19.  St. Patrick is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of New York and St. Joseph is the patron saint of the Universal Church. Details of St. Patrick’s life […]

Do you think of sin as though it pertains merely to religion and nothing else?  Do not let that word “sin” slip through your mind as though it is some abstraction that the Church has dreamed up as an excuse for her own existence.  Multitudes of people who know little and care less about the Church and her message are firm believers in the reality of sin.  Why is it that government at every level spends millions of dollars to maintain police forces, jails, prisons and courts of law?  The basic reason is sin.  Why is it that automobile manufacturers […]

This past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday and we begin the season of Lent.  It is a time for all of us to stop and to reflect and remember   Do you remember those days when you dreamed beautiful dreams?  You were thinking about the wonderful life that was waiting for your over there in the future.  Dreaming is a vital part of living.  Think how impoverished our world would be without dreamers.  Every great human accomplishment is nothing more than a dream come true.  The electric light was once a dream in the mind of Thomas Edison.  The Fifth Symphony was […]